July 2013

Guest post by Susan O’Patka

Three nights a week, up to six homeless guests who are challenged by mental illness find refuge in two churches in Ballard. One church, Crown Hill Methodist Church, provides shelter on Wednesday nights, while Northminster Presbyterian Church has its turn on Thursday and Friday nights. Ballard Ecumenical Ministries provides this service. It is made up of volunteers from neighboring churches and beyond. One young woman drives all the way from Mill Creek to host twice a month.

At about five o’clock in the evening, two hosts warmly greet each night’s guests. Another volunteer provides a meal. Everyone sits at a table and enjoys a family style dinner. After dinner, most of the guests set up the mats with the bedding provided by the shelter and go to sleep. Some guests stay up until the overnight volunteers arrive at 9:00 and watch television, read or talk. The guests come from around the world. Some of them have come as far away as Morocco and Sweden. Each one has an interesting background, and various reasons and paths that led to their homelessness.

West Seattle won one of three games at the Junior Little League baseball
state tournament in Spokane, but was close to much more.

After the Westsiders opened with a 6-0 victory over Key Peninsula on Sunday, the team was narrowly edged, 9-6, by Cascade in a winner's bracket semifinal Monday.

Cascade went on to become the undefeated team in Friday's finals, needing to be defeated twice to miss out on a Washington state title and Western Regional action in Vancouver.

West Seattle, meanwhile, went on to be eliminated by another tough team in Richmond, losing by a 24-8 score Tuesday in a game stopped after six innings by a 10-run rule.

Richmond went on to reach at least the winner's bracket final that is to be played Thursday night.

West Seattle entered the tournament played at Medical Lake High School as the District 7 champion, drawing a bye past the first round Saturday.

The manager of the West Seattle team was Mark Terao and the coach was Mark O'Neal. The West Seattle president is Brian Pare.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

West Seattle won one of three games at the Junior Little League baseball
state tournament in Spokane, but was close to much more.

After the Westsiders opened with a 6-0 victory over Key Peninsula on Sunday, the team was narrowly edged, 9-6, by Cascade in a winner's bracket semifinal Monday.

Cascade went on to become the undefeated team in Friday's finals, needing to be defeated twice to miss out on a Washington state title and Western Regional action in Vancouver.
West Seattle, meanwhile, went on to be eliminated by another tough team in Richmond, losing by a 24-8 score Tuesday in a game stopped after six innings by a 10-run rule.

Richmond went on to reach at least the winner's bracket final that is to be played Thursday night.
West Seattle entered the tournament played at Medical Lake High School as the District 7 champion, drawing a bye past the first round Saturday.

The manager of the West Seattle team was Mark Terao and the coach was Mark O'Neal. The West Seattle president is Brian Pare.

On July 26, Cultivate is hosting the Open Mic night in White Center.

The open mic will be a joint effort by Cultivate, The White Center CDA, The YES Foundation and Dub Sea Coffee and other community members. It's an open mic but more of a concert feel with established local artist showcasing their talents for the White Center Community.

It's a fun free event for families to enjoy in our wonderful community of White Center. It's also a great opportunity to show off your own talent and celebrate the community of White Center.

To get a feel for the event watch the video from last year's by Nathan Korynta above.

The event will be July 26 at 7pm Greenbridge Plaza - 9010 8th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106.

For more info https://www.facebook.com/events/219395924874267/

Eric and Naomi Greene got their dog Ben, a Samoyed mix, from a no kill shelter in Woodinville. "He was a transfer from a kill shelter in Portland," Eric said, "They found him as a stray, in 2007." They don't know his exact age but "he was just adorable and we found him through PetFinder.com."

They feed him Origin from Next to Nature in the Junction and he loves cheese for snacks.

Ben loves to fetch, really for anyone who will throw a ball, especially kids.

The family has a cat, named Yeti, "also white, long haired cat from shelter as well. Ben looks like a polar bear and Yeti looks like an abominable snow cat. There's a lot of white hair all over our house."

Did you miss the 100th birthday celebration of the Alki Lighthouse on June 1, 2013? Would you like to catch up on the history of this centennial landmark in our community?

Alki resident Will Winter, a member of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and of the all-volunteer U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, will present a program on the history of the lighthouse at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013, at the historical society's Log House Museum, 3003 61st Ave. S.W.

In addition, the historical society will present a new video about the centennial festivities for the Alki Lighthouse.

The historical society launched an enhanced exhibit on the lighthouse, "Alki Centennial Summer: From Lantern to Lighthouse," on June 1, 2013, the 100th birthday of the lighthouse.

The exhibit will be on display through the summer and fall, leading to the historical society's annual Champagne Gala Lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013, at Salty's on Alki, 1936 Harbor Ave. S.W. The theme of the gala will be "Tripping the Lighthouse Fantastic."

For more information, call 206-938-5293 or visit loghousemuseum.info.

Three burglary suspects are in custody on July 24 after allegedly stealing several firearms and other items from a home on the 10700 block of 4th Ave. S., according to King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Cindi West.

West said KCSO received a call of suspicious activity in the early afternoon after a neighbor saw an unknown vehicle backed in near the home and people walking in and out of the house with loot.

“A detective in an unmarked car arrived and watched the situation unfold,” West said. “He saw a few young men leaving the house carrying guns and what looked like a pillow case full of items.”

The detective started following the suspects as they left the scene and when a marked deputy vehicle arrived as backup four of the five occupants fled the still-moving vehicle. The driver was arrested on the 11600 block of 4th Ave. S. and the victim’s belongings were found inside the car.

Two of the suspects who fled were apprehended in North Burien later in the afternoon and two are still outstanding, according to West.

Drivers should expect congestion on Alki Avenue Southwest next Thursday and Friday, August 1-2. Seattle Department of Transportation paving crews will work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the 1200 block of Alki Avenue Southwest removing the old roadway surface and laying new asphalt.

One lane of traffic will remain open for each direction of traffic.

The Alki Trail, all crosswalks and sidewalks will remain open.

Information from Seattle Parks

This is to let you know that Seattle Parks and Recreation has closed Southwest Pool, 2801 SW Thistle St., for the rest of the day because of contamination that could not be contained. In compliance with State of Washington health regulations, Parks is taking these routine steps to ensure the pool water is clean and safe for public use:

· Elevating chlorine levels

· Disinfecting all pool surfaces

· Using the pool’s ultraviolet disinfectant system as a supplemental effort

Parks and Recreation apologizes for the inconvenience to pool users and will reopen the pool at 7 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, July 25.

Press release
Mayor announces support for young immigrants eligible for work visas
Seattle City Light to help youth use utility bills to prove residency

Today Mayor McGinn announced new City efforts to support young people eligible for work authorizations through the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) policy launched by President Barack Obama in June 2012. Individuals age 18 and over can now call the Seattle City Light Service Center at (206) 684-3000 and have their names added to the utility bill for their home, helping to provide a paper trail to prove residency.

“These small changes in the way the City operates can have a big impact on the lives of these young people,” said McGinn. “We have an opportunity here to support immigration reform at the local level. We hope other cities will follow our lead in supporting youth who are eligible for DACA.”